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Merge Parcels

This topic applies to ArcGIS for Desktop Standard and ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced only.

This workflow describes the steps for merging parcels.

The workflow uses the sample dataset downloaded with the Tax Parcel Editing map on the ArcGIS Solutions website. To use the automated workflows on the sample data, enable the parcel fabric in the ParcelEditing feature dataset with the Local Government Information Model and drag the parcel fabric into an empty map document.

To start the Merge Parcels automated workflow, open the Parcel Workflows dialog box by clicking Parcel Editor > Parcel Workflows. Select Merge Parcels and click Begin workflow.

The parcel merge workflow consists of the components shown in the diagram below:

Components for merging parcels

Components for merging parcels

Legal description

A legal description for a parcel merge may look like this:

Parcels 19-16-352-001 and 19-16-352-002, part of the NW ΒΌ Section 16, Township 2 North, Range 10 East, Bloomfield TWP, Oakland Co. Michigan. Further described as Lots 25 and 26 of Echo Park No. 1 filed April 12, 2011.

Search for parent parcels

  1. Open the TaxParcelEditingMap document located in the MapsandGeodatabase folder or drag the parcel fabric (enabled with the Local Government Information Model) in the ParcelEditing feature dataset into an empty map document.
  2. In the Table Of Contents window, make only the Tax Parcels layer and the Tax Lines Anno layer selectable.

    3. For this workflow using the sample data, the visibility of the Lots and Units layer and Historic Parcels layer has been turned off.

  3. Search for one of the parent parcels you want to merge. In the sample dataset in the TaxParcelEditingMap document, search for parcel 1916352001.

Select parent parcels

  1. Start an edit session and use the Select Parcel Features tool Select Parcel Features located on the Parcel Editing toolbar to select the parcels you want to merge. In the sample dataset, select parcels 19-16-352-001 and 19-16-352-002.

Merge parent parcels

  1. Right-click the selected parcels and click Merge.
    2. Merging parcels
    Merging parcels
  2. On the Merge dialog box, click Plan to open the Plan Directory dialog box to choose the plan in which the new, merged parcel will reside.

    3. The parcel fabric plan represents the legal document recording a parcel merge, subdivision, and so on. Parcels are created in plans. Plans are managed in the Plan Directory dialog box, which is opened by clicking Parcel Editor > Plan Directory.

    You can create a new plan by clicking Create Plan on the Plan Directory dialog box. When setting the Accuracy category for a plan, all parcels in the plan will inherit that accuracy value. If you don't want to use plans, you can create parcels in the system default <map> plan.

    For this workflow, you will use the default plan:
  3. Select the <map> plan and click Set as Active Plan.
  4. On the Merge dialog box, leave the Parcel name blank and choose Copy values from.
    5. When merging parcels, you can choose to keep the attributes from one of the existing parcels or use the Tax Parcels feature template and define new attributes. If you do not enter a new parcel name, the existing parcel name is assigned when you are choosing to copy attributes. if you are using a feature template, a default parcel name is assigned if no parcel name is entered.
  5. Click OK to merge the parcels.
  6. If you need to merge adjacent boundaries of the new parcel, that is, merge separate, collinear lines or tangent curves into one single boundary, right-click the selected merged parcel, and click Merge Courses.

    For the workflow using the sample data, you will not merge courses.

    1. On the Merge Parcel Courses dialog box, edit the tolerances accordingly and choose whether to Delete original parcels.
    2. Click OK to merge collinear lines or tangent curves.

Annotate parcels

  1. Turn on the Tax Lines Anno in the Table Of Contents window to make it visible in the map document.

    2. In the TaxParcelEditingMap document, new annotation is not automatically created when new parcels are added.

    Annotation is created using the Annotate Parcel Courses tool Annotate Courses, which handles the duplication of annotation on parcel lines.

  2. With the merged parcel selected, click the Annotate Parcel Courses tool Annotate Courses on the Parcel Editor toolbar.
  3. Select ParcelDimensions - 1:1200 on the Annotate Selected Features dialog box and click OK.

    Click Yes to re-create annotation.

  4. If necessary, use the Edit Annotation tool Edit Annotation Tool to edit and change the placement of the generated annotation.

Attribute parcels

The final step in the workflow is to update the attributes of the new parcels:

  1. Select the merged parcel and, if necessary, click Parcel Details on the Parcel Editor toolbar to make the Parcel Details dialog box visible.
  2. On the Parcel Details dialog box, under the Properties tab, update attributes such as the Parcel Identification Number, StatedArea, LegalStartDate, and Accuracy.

    The LegalStartDate attribute should correspond to the date on the parcel's plan. If the Accuracy attribute is left empty, the value is inherited internally from the plan accuracy. You can override the plan accuracy by specifying a different parcel accuracy. Accuracy values are used in the parcel fabric least-squares adjustment.

    3. Parcel Details dialog box
    Parcel attributes on the Parcel Details dialog box

  3. Optionally update the attributes of the historic parcels:
    1. Turn on the Historic Parcels layer in the Table Of Contents window.
    2. Use the selection chip to select the historic parcel in the map.
    3. Open the Parcel Details dialog box and update attributes such as LegalStartDate, LegalEndDate, and Reason Parcel Retired.
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